A Lot Like Christmas
by chocolatequeen
Summary: The Doctor finds Rose decorating for Christmas and decides to give her the best holiday she's ever had. Part of As Time Goes By, follows Worth It
1. Chapter 1

The Doctor strode back to the TARDIS alone, his hand feeling empty with Rose's clasped firmly in it. They'd split up when they arrived at the alien market, him going one way to get TARDIS parts and her another to explore the market and the culture.

She'd told over the bond him to meet her at home when he was done, and the buzz of happiness she projected had convinced him to conclude his haggling quickly and get home posthaste.

The console room was empty, and he tossed his coat over a strut as he headed down the corridor in the general direction he sensed Rose was in. He'd only gone a few steps before he recognised his surroundings and guessed she was in the library; a few more, and he could hear Christmas music spilling out through the open door.

Standing in the doorway, the Doctor watched, entranced, as Rose spun around the Christmas tree, twinkling fairy light draped over her shoulders. She sang along softly with the music as she positioned the last few lights, and then she scooted back a few steps to examine her work.

The TARDIS dimmed the lights to highlight the tree, and the twinkling fairy lights on the tree leant a magical feel to the room. Everything shimmered, but nothing glowed as much as Rose.

The Doctor stepped into the room finally, and Rose turned to greet him. Her eyes sparkled with joy, but the glow of happiness pulsing over the bond was even more intoxicating.

"About time you got home," she teased as he pulled her close. She reached for his tie and tugged on it gently. "I thought I was going to have to put all the ornaments on myself, too."

He chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before pulling back and resting his forehead against hers. "Where did you get the tree?" he asked.

Rose pulled away from him and walked over to the tree, touching one of the delicate fir branches. "There was a stand at the market. And I realised we haven't done Christmas since you regenerated, so I thought…"

"Brilliant as always, love." He caught her hand in his and pulled her towards the couch. "Come on. Let's sit down and look at the tree."

Two mugs of mulled wine appeared on the coffee table as they sat down, and he silently thanked his obliging ship. An idea came to him as Rose settled into his arms, a planet he'd heard of but never visited. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and smiled. If Rose wanted to have Christmas, they would give her the best holiday she'd ever experienced.


	2. Chapter 2

Bells, Snowflake, and Mittens

A scarf fluttered around the Doctor's neck as he twirled around the console, setting the coordinates for the mystery trip he'd announced at breakfast. Rose swung her legs off the edge of the jump seat and shook her head at his exuberance. His side of the bond shimmered with delight, and she smiled automatically in response.

"What's gotten into you?" she asked, eyeing the earmuffs he wore as she pulled on a pair of warm, woollen mittens. The TARDIS had encouraged her to dress warmly today, and clearly, the ship knew what she was talking about.

"Oh, just wait a few minutes and you'll see, Rose Tyler," he chirped, spinning around once more before he pulled the dematerialisation lever.

The ship rocked into motion, and Rose grabbed onto the seat so she wouldn't get flung to the floor. The Doctor, meanwhile, landed on his bum and then bounced right back, giggling merrily the whole time.

"Does this have anything to do with Christmas?" Rose guessed, raising her voice to be heard over the turbulence.

The landing was hard enough to jolt Rose's teeth, and she pressed her hand to her jaw while she waited for an answer.

The Doctor dusted himself off, then held out a hand for Rose and pulled her to her feet. "What gives you that idea?"

Rose held the Doctor's gaze as she slowly put on the fuzzy winter hat the TARDIS had laid out for her. It was red with a snowflake pattern on it. The Doctor didn't blink, so she held up her hands and turned them so he could see the Christmas tree design knitted into the mittens.

"Ohhh… just a guess," she drawled.

He laughed and pressed a quick kiss to her lips, then bounded up the ramp to the door. "Well, come on then," he said, and a gust of wind and snow swirled into the room when he pushed the door open.

"So, where are we?" Rose asked as she walked towards him. "Dickens' London?" She blinked as she took in the snowy forest they'd landed in. "Definitely not."

"Nope!" The Doctor took her hand, and she could feel his long fingers even through two layers of mittens. "This is the planet Falalalia, generally regarded as one of the best places in the galaxy for all your Christmas, Yule, Solstice, Festivus, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and other winter festival needs."

Rose followed the Doctor's lead through the trees, trusting him to know where the path was, even though it couldn't be seen. "Falalalia?" she asked as they ducked under snow-laden branches. "As in "Fa la la la la la, la la la la," she sang.

"Look at all the boughs of holly!" the Doctor replied, gesturing at the clumps of bushes covered in red berries. "The climate on Falalalia is cold year 'round, so they capitalise on that by being a one-stop shop for winter festivals."

Rose chuckled. "You mean it's always winter, and _always_ Christmas?" she asked, enjoying the flip of Narnia's cursed winter.

The Doctor beamed at her and swung their hands between them. "Exactly!"

By the time they reached a town, twenty minutes later, Rose was grateful to the TARDIS for providing excellent winter clothes. Her bright red down coat hadn't let any of the frigid air through. Putting on a coat that went down to her knees had seemed extreme at the time, but she didn't think so any more.

"What's this town called?" she asked as they started down the high street, admiring the shop windows.

"Wassailia," the Doctor told her.

Rose stopped, and a step later, the Doctor turned around to look at her. "Hang on," she said, feeling giggles bubbling up. "We're on Falalalia, you said."

"Yep!"

"And this town is called Wassailia?"

The Doctor peered down at her. "Yes, Wassailia, Falalalia. Keep up, Rose Tyler."

Rose stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't tell me you didn't laugh the first time you heard that."

"Wellllll…"

"S'what I thought."

Rose dove into a shopping arcade before the Doctor could argue, pulling him behind her. "Come on!" she called out over her shoulder. "I want to find something for Mum."

"But it isn't even Christmas in London," he protested, tripping over his feet for a few steps before he caught up with her. "The last time you called, it was only October."

Rose spun around and put her hand on her hip. "As you're so fond of reminding me, we live in a time machine." His lower lip stuck out slightly, and she sighed. "Doctor, did you really think we were going to celebrate Christmas without visiting Mum?"

He tugged on his ear. "No… well, I hoped…"

Rose dropped his hand and crossed her arms over her chest, and the Doctor swallowed hard. Shopping for a Christmas gift for his mother-in-law was not how he'd planned to spend the afternoon, but it didn't take a Time Lord's ability to see potential outcomes to know there was only one right answer to Rose's question.

"I mean, of course not. We'll go straight to London after we have our own fun here."

Rose nodded, then took off her hat and mittens and shoved them into her coat pockets. (Pockets he had made bigger on the inside, of course.) Then she took his hand again and led him to the first stop, a jeweller.

An hour later, they'd found an alien toaster for Jackie that promised to toast every slice exactly the same. The Doctor had also managed to sneak in a few purchases of his own, adding to the stack of gifts he had for Rose at home. Judging by her secretive excitement, she'd done the same thing.

"All right," he said once they'd arranged to pick up the toaster on their way out of town. "Christmas shopping is done. Are you ready to explore the rest of what Wassailia has to offer?"

Rose took the hand he was offering and smiled at him. "Absolutely. Lead the way, Sir Doctor."

"You're going to love what I've got planned for today, Rose," the Doctor rambled as they walked towards the exit. "There's a snowman building contest in the park after lunch, and then, when it starts to get dark—the sun sets early on Falalalia—we'll take the night sleigh ride and hopefully see the aurora."

He was vaguely aware that the shopkeepers were bustling around, closing up shop even though it wasn't even lunchtime yet, but it wasn't until they stepped outside that he realised his grand plans for the day would have to wait.

"Oh!"

Rose's soft gasp drew his attention away from the heavy snow falling from the sky. Her wide, glowing eyes melted away his frustration, and he squeezed her hand. "Apparently we get to experience a Falalalia blizzard," he said cheerfully. "We should find a hotel to stay in until it stops snowing."

Rose tilted her head and looked up at him. "It's only snowed a couple inches. Surely we could make it home."

The Doctor shook his head. "Not in a blizzard," he said firmly. "We'd lose our way and get lost in the woods, and that would almost certainly be fatal."

"Ah, in that case…"

She bit her lip and the Doctor felt a glimmer of amusement from her. He clasped her hand tightly in his and led the way across the street while he waited for her next question.

"An' it's really snow this time, yeah?" she asked.

The Doctor glanced down at her, and when he spotted her tongue peeking out behind her teeth, he had to pull her close and kiss her. Her lips were cool but her kiss was not, teasing him with soft nips at his lip and swipes of her tongue before he growled and deepened the kiss.

Rose's soft whimper when his tongue slid into her mouth was almost enough to make him forget the weather. But only a moment later, he felt her shiver, and not because of his touch.

He pulled back and tapped her nose. "Right," he said briskly. "We can continue this method of keeping warm when we're actually inside where it's warm."

Unsurprisingly, the Falalalia hotel was accustomed to stranded travellers and had overnight kits with pyjamas and tooth brushes available for purchase a the front desk. "And there's complimentary hot chocolate in your room," the clerk told them as she handed them the key.

oOoOo

The snow stopped shortly before sunset on their second day in Wassailia, but instead of trying to traipse through snowy woods to get back to the TARDIS in the dark, they stayed another night at the hotel. When they woke up the next morning, everything was sparkling as the sun reflected off the crystalline snow.

"Ready to go home?" the Doctor asked after breakfast.

Rose tightened her scarf and pulled her hat over her ears. "Ready," she said as she slipped her mittened hand into the Doctor's.

It took them over an hour to reach the clearing where they'd parked the TARDIS, but Rose didn't mind the walk. Bright red birds danced over the surface of the new snow, then soared into the air and sang to each other as they looked for food. And when they ducked underneath the last branch blocking them from the clearing where they'd parked the TARDIS, there were several reindeer standing nearby.

Rose covered her hand with her mouth to muffle her squeal of excitement. "Are they like Santa's reindeer?" she whispered to the Doctor.

He rocked back on his heels and grinned. "Flying, you mean? Absolutely."

Rose clapped her hands and jumped up and down excitedly… until she noticed the Doctor's smile had disappeared. "What? What's wrong?" She followed his gaze and saw it immediately.

The TARDIS was nearly buried in a snowbank.

"Oh."

The thought of digging the ship out of the snow drained her excitement for a moment, but then she got an idea. "Doctor? Why can't we get some help?"

He rubbed at his eyebrow. "It would take an hour to get to town and an hour to get back. We could be inside by then."

Rose bit her lip and shook her head. "No, I mean… _help_." She pointed at the reindeer and waited for the Doctor to get it.

He looked from the reindeer to the TARDIS, and his eyes widened. "Oh, _help!_ " The Doctor laughed and picked Rose up, swinging her around a few times before he set her down and kissed her soundly. "Rose Tyler, you are a genius."

In the end, they still had to dig far enough to hook the traces up to the TARDIS doors, but that wasn't hard. "Go on, Dasher!" the Doctor called when they were ready. The reindeer tossed his head, but he didn't balk. As a team, the eight reindeer pulled the tinier-on-the-outside sleigh until it was free of the snowbank.

"Yes!" the Doctor crowed as the TARDIS came free. Then he hopped up onto it, sitting on the closed door. "Come on, love," he said, patting the spot behind him. "Let's go for a ride."

Rose laughed and jumped up beside him. She reached for the reins and snuggled into his side when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Can I say it, Doctor? Please?"

He chuckled. "Go ahead."

Rose rattled the reins, and the reindeer straightened up as their bells jingled. "Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall! Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

The Doctor's merry chuckle echoed through the woods, and then he leaned down and whispered in Rose's ear. "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night."


End file.
